Chapter 21

"Master Yi, there's still one problem: the helper cook issue. If it's three tables, I can manage alone; if it's six tables, I alone would be a bit overwhelmed. According to the rule, if I bring a helper, the wages come out of my pocket, but I have to provide two meat dishes for them." Zhang Shifu asked.

"No need for a helper cook; when the time comes, I'll have my wife bring two female comrades to help you." Yi Zhonghai really didn't want to spend any more.

"Alright, then just arrange for people to come help when the time comes."

On Sunday morning, Zhang Shifu brought the vegetables to the Siheyuan early. Yi Zhonghai originally wanted to buy the vegetables himself, but thinking of Jia Zhangshi's temperament, he decided to let Zhang Shifu buy them, effectively outsourcing everything to Zhang Shifu. Yi Zhonghai had three aunties come to help with the cooking: the first auntie chopped the chicken, the second auntie sliced the meat, the third auntie washed the vegetables, and chopped them.

Seeing Zhang Shifu prepare so much meat, Jia Zhangshi had a devious idea.

"I say, Zhang Shifu, there are six tables in total. Do we really need this much meat?" Jia Zhangshi asked with a smile.

"Landlord, the chicken is one per table, the meat is half a catty per table, the fish is one per table, and the eggs are six per table." The portions Zhang Shifu gave were still generous, especially the chicken—chickens in the 1950s weren't the feed-raised ones of later days; one weighed four or five catties, while a normal chicken back then was only about two catties or more.

"We won't need that much; half per table is enough." Jia Zhangshi said.

"Half is too little, besides, we've already bought it back, and they won't take returns." Zhang Shifu said, a bit embarrassed.

"It's fine, just use half, and leave the rest to me." After saying that, Jia Zhangshi turned and went home. When she came back, she had a basin in her hand, and without a word she scooped half the meat and chicken into the basin and carried it back inside.

As He Yuzhu's teacher and also the investor, Yi Zhonghai naturally took charge of the overall arrangements. Liu Haizhong was responsible for leading the youngsters of the courtyard to borrow pots, pans, bowls and basins from each household—back then, whenever a family had something going on, all kinds of utensils were borrowed from neighbors. Yan Butgui was in charge of keeping the accounts.

After Qin Huiru's natal family arrived, the banquet officially began.

The deaf old matriarch sat firmly at the main table. He Yuzhu went outside to receive the banquet, so only He Yushui could come to present the gift and take a seat. Jia Zhangshi had said, only one person per household could attend, so Li Qiang, Li Bin, and He Yushui, representing the three families, sat together.

Seeing dish after dish being brought to the table filled Yi Zhonghai's vanity with great satisfaction, after all, no household in the Siheyuan had ever used ten dishes for an event. Back then the tables were small, each seating eight people, and according to the price Zhang Shifu and Yi Zhonghai discussed, ten dishes for eight people would certainly be enough to eat.

But what Yi Zhonghai didn't expect was that the dishes were basically cleared as soon as they were served; especially seeing the food in the plates, his expression turned especially grim—wasn't he being made a fool of? The promised meat and vegetable portions turned out to be less than half.

"Zhang Shifu, you've done this in an underhanded way." Yi Zhonghai went to find Zhang Shifu and questioned him.

"Master Yi, what do you mean by that?" Zhang Shifu was also seething; the landlord doing this isn't he damaging his own signboard?

"Zhang Shifu, you originally said the standard was five yuan per table, but for five yuan you're letting everyone eat this?" Yi Zhonghai pointed at the plate and said.

"Master Yi, I was actually going to ask you this: who's really in charge of this matter? Early this morning the female landlord came over with a basin and hauled away more than half of the meat and vegetables—how am I supposed to keep working like this? If this gets out, isn't it damaging my signboard?" Zhang Shifu countered Yi Zhonghai.

"There's more?" Yi Zhonghai asked Zhang Shifu in surprise.

"Don't believe me? Go look for yourself in that room."

Yi Zhonghai stormed over to Jia Zhangshi's bedroom, and sure enough, in the corner he found a basin containing half a basin of chicken meat and pork.

"Elder sister-in-law, what are you doing?" Yi Zhonghai pointed at the basin and asked Jia Zhangshi.

"Old Yi, I saw all that meat and thought letting them eat it would be wasteful, so I took some back. Don't be angry; I'll give you half tonight." Jia Zhangshi said with a smile.

Hearing this, Yi Zhonghai flared up—didn't he spend money just to save face? And you take my vegetables, then turn around to curry favor with me by giving me half? With that money I could buy it myself! Yi Zhonghai was so angry he cursed his mother under his breath.

"Elder sister-in-law, please take the meat out and have Zhang Shifu remake it, to make up for each table." Yi Zhonghai couldn't think of any other solution.

"Yi Zhonghai, what hysteria are you throwing? My family's stuff—you say move it, you move it—who do you think you are?" Jia Zhangshi immediately flipped her face.

"But the money for the vegetables came from me!" Yi Zhonghai roared.

"What's it to you that you paid? If it weren't for my family bearing a great-grandson, you wouldn't even have the chance to spend. If you're capable, go have one yourself—you can do whatever you want." Jia Zhangshi was just stabbing Yi Zhonghai in the heart.

"You, you, you—fine, you don't have to move it. The vegetable money came from me, so later I'll take back the gift money." Yi Zhonghai really had no other option. He could only think of going after the gift money; actually the gift money wasn't much—back then neighbors gave a cent or two, and fifty cents was already considered a lot. But even a mosquito leg is still meat, so to make up for the loss Yi Zhonghai could only think of going after the gift money.

"Do as you please," Jia Zhangshi said, unafraid. After all, her household hadn't spent a penny, yet she'd gained all that meat.

But after the guests left, Jia Zhangshi grew more and more resentful. Why should her family's wedding have its gift money taken by Yi Zhonghai? She had no reason to go to Yi Zhonghai, but she did have a reason to go to Yan Butgui, who was in charge of recording the accounts and collecting the money.

"Old Yan, hand it over." Jia Zhangshi approached Yan Butgui, stretched out her hand and said. At that moment Yan Butgui was folding up the leftover soup and water from the guests' meals.

"Elder sister-in-law, I'm just collecting the leftover soup and water—how can you have the nerve to argue with me about that? Besides, I've also helped your family." Yan Butgui said with a smile.

"Nobody wants your leftover soup and water; I want the gift money. You're in charge of recording and collecting the money—you wouldn't have embezzled it, would you?"

"Elder sister-in-law, I've given all the gift money to Old Yi, and the accounts have been checked—there's no discrepancy."

"I don't care whether your accounts are straight or not; for my family's affair, what right do you have to give the gift money to him?" Jia Zhangshi asked.

"Alright, wait—I'll go ask Old Yi for it." Yan Butgui thought Jia Zhangshi made sense; even though Yi Zhonghai is Jia Dongxu's teacher, he has no right to take their gift money. But he didn't know about the tangled history between Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family.

"Old Yi, give me back the gift money—I need to settle accounts with the Jia family." Yan Butgui came to Yi Zhonghai's home.

"Old Yan, there's no need to settle with them—the vegetable money came from me, so just consider the gift money as covering the vegetable cost." Yi Zhonghai was counting his money; it was mostly small change of one or two cents, actually not much.

"Old Yan, you don't need to worry—if Jia Zhangshi comes to you for it, just tell her to come directly to me."

"Old Yan, you don't need to worry—if Jia Zhangshi comes to you for it, just tell her to come directly to me."

"Alright then."

"Elder sister-in-law, Old Yi told you to go ask him for it." Yan Butgui came up to Jia Zhangshi and said.

"What right do I have to go ask him for it? I'll go ask you for the gift money you collected. Otherwise, you just make up the difference." Jia Zhangshi would never go to Yi Zhonghai.

Hearing this, Yan Butgui also became anxious. Although the gift money wasn't much, it certainly wasn't something he should have to compensate for. So Yan Butgui went to Yi Zhonghai again, but Yi Zhonghai still refused to return the gift money to him. Now Yan Butgui was dumbfounded—helping out like this, he'd have to chip in his own money; there's never been such a thing in history.

And so the three families started arguing in the courtyard.